PULLMAN, Wash. - Avoiding an all-to-familiar slow start, the Washington State women's soccer team got on the board early and took control of its soccer match beating Arizona 3-2.

In fact, it only took WSU (7-9-0, 1-5-0) one minute to jump on the scoreboard. Meagin Donovan (Noblesville, Ind.) crossed the ball from the right corner into the box, where Deka DeWitt (Auburn, Wash.) tipped the ball to Katrina Stroh (Federal Way, Wash.) inside the 18-yard box for the goal.

"I though that was good and important," WSU head coach Dan Tobias said about getting on the board early. "That's been a part of the game we've struggled with. During pre-game, we talked about not letting the other team dictate the pace and the tempo. I think we did that."

The Cougars got on the board again in the first half, taking a 2-0 lead, when DeWitt scored off a quick restart play. After an Arizona foul, Adrienne Rizzo (San Jose, Calif.) restarted play with a through ball to Natalie Kehl (Spokane, Wash.). Kehl one-timed a ball into the box to DeWitt, who beat Wildcat goalie Shannon Monti in a one-on-one for the goal.

Arizona (6-9-1, 0-6-0) fought back, scoring its first goal just 22 seconds after the Cougs took a 2-0 lead. Off a free kick, Arizona's Tiffany Sabado deflected the ball to teammate Kristi Lorona in the box. Lorona's shot went into the lower-left corner of the goal, cutting the Cougar lead in half.

In the second half, Washington State scored another quick goal, this time in the 53rd minute to take a 3-1 lead. Christina Pallan (Las Vegas, Nev.), who was making her 70th consecutive start, received a pass from DeWitt at the top of the 18, turned and fired a shot over the goalie and into the net.

"Christina didn't have the first touch that she wanted to, but she kept with the ball and hit it past the defender," Tobias said. "She couldn't have finished any better. It was a brilliant third goal."

The resilient Arizona squad came back just two minutes later to pull the score to 3-2, when Twila Kaufman tipped a deflected shot into the goal. Jacy Korbus took the first shot, which squirted past WSU goalie Lindsey Jorgensen (North Bend, Wash.) and on to the foot of Kaufman.

Washington State's defense did a good job defending Arizona forwards Chrissy Sanford and Kim McGehee. Although the two combined to take nine shots, neither managed to tally a goal or an assist.

"They do a very good job of finding their two target players up front," Tobias said. "They are very good and they are very dangerous."

With her second assist of the game, DeWitt tied teammate Beth Childs (Snoqualmie, Wash.) atop the record books with her school-record tying seventh assist of the year. Childs set the record as a freshman last season.

The Cougars will send off seniors Kristin Mak (Redmond, Wash.), Pallan and Donovan on Senior Day when WSU faces Arizona State (10-6-0, 2-4-0) Sunday at 1 p.m.

BOX SCORE

Team                            1       2       OT      OT      F
Arizona (6-9-1, 0-6-0)          1       1       -       -       2
Washington State (7-9, 1-5)     2       1       -       -       3

Scoring summary:
First half - 1, WSU, Katrina Stroh (Deka DeWitt, Meagin Donovan), 1:00. 2,
WSU, DeWitt (Adrienne Rizzo, Natalie Kehl), 32:07. 3, UA, Kristi Lorona
(Tiffany Sabado), 32:29. Second half - 4, WSU, Christina Pallan (DeWitt)
52:49. 5, UA, Twila Kaufman (Jacy Corbus), 54:48.
Shots - UA 18 (Chrissy Sanford 8, Lorona 2, Sabado 2, Corbus 2, Kaufman 1,
Erin Nelson 1, Cassidy Guinn 1, Kim McGehee 1), WSU 19 (DeWitt 5, Pallan 3,
Kehl 3, Beth Childs 3, Meagin Donovan 2, Stroh 1, Brianne Carmody 1, Niki
Ironside 1). Corner kicks - UA 3, WSU 6.
Goalie saves - UA 3 (Shannon Monti 3), WSU 7 (Lindsey Jorgensen 7). Fouls -
UA 12, WSU 13. Offsides - UA 4, WSU 2. Cautions/Ejections - Maria Padula,
UA, (yellow). Attendance - 210.